23. Preacher
23
PREACHER
T he night had finally come.
After months of planning and issues with construction, the casino had finally opened, and the place was packed. It was shoulder to shoulder from the front door to the back poker tables, and it was something to behold. Flashing lights. Clinking chips. The low hum of conversation. The scent of cigar smoke and expensive perfume. And the music playing overhead gave it just the right edge of class mixed with possibility.
It was a hell of a turnout.
But I wasn’t watching the crowd.
I was watching her.
Tabitha was sitting next to me at the bar she’d helped design. She’d hand-picked every detail, from the tile floor to the paint color on the ceiling, and she’d outdone herself. And while it was beautiful, it couldn’t compare with how amazing she looked tonight. She was wearing a deep green dress that hugged her curves like it’d been made for her, and her hair was down over her shoulders.
She sparkled even more than the chandelier above us, and she was practically beaming with pride as she asked, “Do you think they’ll come back?”
“Oh, they’ll come back. No doubt about it.” I took a pull from my beer before saying, “I mean, hell. Look at this place. It’s amazing, and so are you.”
“Thank you.” She leaned into me with a smile. “You’re pretty great, too.”
She glanced over at Viktor and Nikolai, and they were working the floor, greeting everyone with a casual nod or firm handshake. Sergei was posted up near the private room, looking down on everything like a hawk.
They were new to the game, but it didn’t show. Hell, this place was running almost as well as the Vault. The guards made themselves known without being in your face, the bartenders were staying on top of things, serving one fancy cocktail after the next, and the servers were dressed seductively, but not overly so.
I leaned over to Tabitha and told her, “Your boys did good.”
“They did, didn’t they?” Her smile widened. “I know they must be proud. I know I am.”
“As you should be.”
When she spotted someone she knew, she gave them a quick wave and said, “I’m going to walk around a bit. You want to join me or…”
“No, you go ahead. I’ll hang tight and finish my beer.”
“Okay. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Take your time.”
Tabitha eased off her stool and made her way around the room. I watched as she went over and talked with a few of the guests and VIPs. They all seemed starstruck as she did her best to make them feel at home. Eventually, she made her way over to Memphis and Goose, and after talking with them for a moment, she headed over to Grim.
He was sitting in one of the lounges with his girl curled up beside him. They talked for a moment, and then, she was off again. She made her rounds to all my boys, and damn if she didn’t look beautiful doing it. Hell, she walked through the room like she owned it, and I couldn’t be prouder that she was mine.
I sipped on my beer and watched as several people walked by. A few gave a hard look while others avoided eye contact entirely. They all knew who I was, knew the wrath me and my boys were capable of, so I couldn’t necessarily blame them for wanting to steer clear.
It was the cost of making things happen, and I was a man who made things happen. It was that thought that had me thinking about Vasili and the moment I knew things with him were truly over.
Shep had been monitoring things in New York, waiting and watching for any word of Vasili. At first, there was nothing. No word of him or his disappearance. Not even a whisper or false report.
But on a random Tuesday night, Shep came into my office and announced, “There were three fires in the city last night. All within hours of each other.”
“You think they’re connected to Vasili?”
“There were no names in the reports. Just the number of casualties. But I ran the addresses and cross-referenced them with property records.” He hesitated, then dropped the hammer. “One belonged to Vasili and the others to his two sons.”
“Damn. The whole damn line got wiped out.”
“Sure did. It was like they were never there.”
That kind of thing just didn’t happen. There were too many cops, too many neighbors and friends, and all the politics. A wipeout like that took a lot of money and power, and clearly, these guys had it.
It made that ten percent sound not so bad after all.
“A hell of a way to send a message.”
“Message received. Loud and clear.”
It wasn’t long after that when Sergei called me in and announced that he’d released Rooks. He’d sent him out of the country and threatened to end him if he ever came back. Hard to know if it was the right call, but Rooks had done his part and helped us out of a tight spot.
He’d written the letter for his sister and gave it to Seven, but I never heard whether or not he passed it along. Didn’t figure it was my place to ask, but I knew Seven well enough to know that he would do what he thought was best for Tallie, even if it meant tossing the letter. He certainly had every reason to.
My mind snapped back to the present when I heard Tabitha laugh. I glanced over and saw that she was on her way back to me. She’d almost made it back to the bar when Goose called her back over. She eased over, and seconds later, something was said that made Goose laugh so hard several heads turned to see what was going on.
I couldn’t help but smile.
My woman fit. Not just with me but all of us.
And she did it without even trying.
Tabitha was still giggling when she sat back down next to me and said, “Wow, they’re in rare form tonight.”
“You are, too.”
She gave me that look—the one that made my chest tight. It was hard to explain, but it was like she could see right through all the years of bloodshed and guilt and still wanted me anyway. It was that look that would carry me to the end of my days.
A soft smile crossed her face as she whispered, “Thank you.”
“For?”
“For being you.”
She reached under the table and took my hand, lacing her fingers with mine. And for the first time in a long damn time, I let myself lean back and enjoy the moment. The noise. The people. The music.
And most of all, her.
My ol’ lady.
I had it good. There was no denying it, and it was just the beginning.
Tabitha’s eyes danced with mischief as she leaned towards me and asked, “Want to play a round of blackjack?”
“I don’t know,” I smirked. “Hate to take money from your boys on their opening night.”
“You think it’ll be that easy?”
“Absolutely.” I stood up, brushed my hands down the front of my jacket, and leaned in close enough to whisper, “But a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
“Okay. Okay.” She grinned and looped her arm through mine. “But try not to bankrupt the family on the first night.”
“I make no promises.”
With that, we made our way over to the blackjack table. We played a few rounds, and to my surprise, I lost every damn time. I expected Tabitha to give me hell about it, but she didn’t. She just gave me one of her knowing smiles and let it go.
A few hours passed, and the crowd slowly started to thin out. Tabitha gave a little yawn and rolled her shoulders. It had been a long night, and I could tell she was ready to kick off her heels and collapse somewhere quiet—preferably on top of me.
“You ready to call it a night?”
“God, yes.”
“Then, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Tabitha nodded and slipped her arm through mine, and we made our way toward the front. We stepped outside, and the cool night air was a welcome change from the warm casino floor. I walked over to the valet and gave him our ticket, and when I turned back, I saw that Sergei had come up behind us.
“You two leaving?”
“Afraid so,” I answered. “But it was a hell of a night. You boys outdid yourselves.”
“We have some things to work on, but it was definitely a good start. Seven and the boys were impressive tonight. They made their presence known without scaring anyone off.”
“Thought the same about your guys. You hired well.”
“Just following your lead.” Without giving me a chance to take in the compliment, he looked over to Tabitha and said, “So, I’ve been doing some thinking.”
“About?”
“The house.”
“Oh?” Panic filled her eyes. “What about it?”
“I’m moving out. I’m going to find a place closer to the city.” Without missing a beat, he added, “Nikolai and Viktor are going to do the same.”
“What?” Tabitha’s brows lifted. “Why so sudden?”
“We’ve all talked about it, and it’s not so sudden. Not sudden at all,” he scoffed. “We should’ve done it a long time ago.”
“But…”
“It’s been decided, Mother,” he cut her off. “Now you and Preach don’t have to go back and forth between your place and his. The house is yours. Both of yours .”
Sergei wasn’t one to mince words, so I took it as his way of saying that he and his brothers gave us their blessing. It was something I hoped for but hadn’t expected. They knew all about me and the life I’d led. It wouldn’t be surprising if they hadn’t wanted a man like me with their mother, especially after what she’d been through.
Tabitha must’ve been just as surprised, because she was all but stunned by his offering. She just stood there and stared at him for several moments. And then the tears came, and she reached out and hugged him tight. He grumbled a little under his breath but hugged her right back. “Ah, now, don’t get all emotional on me now.”
She hugged him a moment longer, then released him and said, “You know you don’t have to do this.”
“But we do. And it’s settled. So, just take the house and let this be the end of our little Hallmark moment.”
“Okay. Well, thank you, but if you change your mind…”
“We won’t.” I chuckled as he turned and started back inside. “Good night, Mother.”
“Good night!” she called back, but he was already back inside.
She didn’t move. She just stood there staring at the closed door. After a second, I placed the palm of my hand on the small of her back and asked, “You good?”
“I’m more than good.” Her eyes met mine, and she smiled. “Let’s go home.”
The valet had finally come back with the SUV, so we both got in and I drove us back to her place. As soon as we walked into the house, I reached for her hand and led her into the bedroom. “Do you have any idea what you put me through tonight?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That dress.”
“What about it?”
“You knew what it would do to me, and now, you’re going to get exactly what you were asking for.”
“Oh, really?” Her cheek flushed. “You liked it?”
“I did, and you’re about to see just how much.”
I put one of my hands behind her neck and pressed my mouth against hers. Her lips parted in surprise as I pulled her body close to mine. The kiss was possessive and demanding, leaving no question as to what I had in mind for her.
My mouth roamed over the curve of her neck as I whispered, “You love taunting me, don’t you?”
“Maybe.” My hands greedily moved to her shoulders, easing the straps of her dress down her arms as I caressed her breast. In almost a whisper, I heard her say, “But no more than you love taunting me.”
I’d known from the start that Tabitha was going to change my life. I just had no idea how much. She was my missing piece, and now that I had her, I wasn’t letting her go. “My woman knows how to get to me. No doubt about that.”
My words seemed to stir something in her as she reached for my cut and eased it down my shoulders, laying it across the foot of the bed. When my hands dropped to my belt buckle, she bit her bottom lip as she lowered her dress to the floor, revealing that she was wearing nothing underneath.
Fuck.
The woman kept me on my toes, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
My fingertips roamed over her bare skin, only stopping when I reached her breasts. A low growl rumbled in my throat as I lowered my head to her breast, flicking my tongue across her sensitive flesh. Her breath quickened as I moved to her other breast, and she gasped as I continued teasing and tormenting her with my mouth.
Unable to wait a moment longer, I lifted her into my arms and carried her over to the bed, carefully lowering her down onto the mattress. She looked so damn perfect sprawled out on the bed, every inch of her was mine, and I intended to cherish her in ways she couldn’t begin to imagine.
Her eyes locked on mine as I stood before her and slowly removed my clothes. My entire body was on fire, burning to touch her, to taste her, and seeing the way she was writhing on the bed with anticipation only made my hunger for her more intense. I lowered myself onto the bed, and goosebumps prickled against her skin as I settled my head between her legs.
With my beard tickling her inner thigh, I whispered, “My one and only.”
I spent the rest of the night making love to her, and when I finally collapsed on the bed next to her, I felt a sense of peace I’d never felt before. I had it all. My son and a possible grandkid on the way, my club, and my woman. A man couldn’t ask for more than that.